The Chesapeake Bay of 400 years ago and the present crossed paths yesterday morning at the mouth of the Patapsco River, when a replica of Capt. John Smith's boat passed by where a bobbing transmitter will tell the story of the explorer and the water around it.
The wooden shallop, powered by oar and sail, was on its way to Baltimore, 76 days into its own summer-long Chesapeake voyage of discovery and tribute to Smith's exploits.
Bright yellow and powered by the sun, the "smart buoy" has instruments to help scientists monitor the health of the bay, aid navigation and act as an electronic tour guide for a new national park.
The buoy, the third deployed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will provide real-time information about bay water quality and weather conditions.
All three markers are transmitting information about area historical and cultural highlights as part of the new 3,000-mile Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the country's first all-water historic trail.
"This is a fascinating marriage of technology and history," said Peyton Robertson, acting director of NOAA's Chesapeake Bay office. "By comparing the observations of Captain Smith with what these smart buoys are finding, we can get a good picture of where we've been and where we need to go."
John Johnson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless, a partner in the project, said the marker's telemetry acts like a huge floating cell phone, providing a high-speed link to other cell phones and personal computers. The information can be used by boaters, vacationers, educators and students.
A crane on an Army Corps of Engineers work boat swung the buoy over the side, gently lowering it into an area known as Seven Foot Knoll as applause rang out from a spectator boat. The buoy, which began broadcasting data while sitting on the work boat deck, kicked into high gear as its sensors touched the water.
Using buoys for more than navigational assistance is not new. The "Eyes on the Bay" program of the Department of Natural Resources uses more than 50 shallow-water monitoring stations on the Chesapeake and its tributaries and four on the coastal bays. Ten of them supply hourly updates to mddnr.chesapeakebay.net.
"With real time, we can capture data and see trends developing. When we see a fish kill, we can more quickly and accurately determine the cause and the source," said Bruce Michael of DNR's Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Division.
But this is the first time Chesapeake buoys have been outfitted to "talk." John Page Williams Jr., a longtime naturalist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, provides historical narration of Smith's 1607 and 1608 voyages. The audio trail guide serves as a map for three points along the Western Shore portion of the trail, which was approved last year by Congress.
Jamestown, the site of the original Virginia settlement and Smith's jumping-off spot, received the first buoy as part of its 400th anniversary celebration in May. A second buoy was launched in June at Point Lookout at the mouth of the Potomac River.
"I think we'll be happy when we have 20 buoys in the network," said Patrick Noonan of the Friends of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. "I don't think we can fathom how much kids are going to like this thing."
At a cost of $120,000 per buoy, reaching that goal might be difficult without sponsors, Noonan said.
Meanwhile, the 30-foot wooden boat and 12-member crew arrived at the Inner Harbor around 1 p.m. The shallop will be on display between the National Aquarium and the World Trade Center tomorrow and Sunday. The expedition will turn south, with the 121-day voyage ending Sept. 8 in Jamestown.
candy.thomson@baltsun.com